Eastbound & Down (2009– )

Years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach phys ed at his old middle school.

Creators:

Ben Best, Jody Hill, Danny McBride

Stars:

Danny McBride, Steve Little, Elizabeth De Razzo

5 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Danny McBride	...	Kenny Powers (21 episodes, 2009-2012)
Steve Little	...	Stevie Janowski (20 episodes, 2009-2012)
Elizabeth De Razzo	...	Maria (12 episodes, 2010-2012)
Katy Mixon	...	April Buchanon (12 episodes, 2009-2012)
John Hawkes	...	Dustin Powers (11 episodes, 2009-2012)
Jennifer Irwin	...	Cassie Powers (11 episodes, 2009-2012)
Ethan Alexander McGee	...	Dustin Jr. (11 episodes, 2009-2012)
Andrew Daly	...	Terrence Cutler (10 episodes, 2009-2012)
Bo Mitchell	...	Wayne (10 episodes, 2009-2012)

Storyline

Kenny Powers was poised to rule the Big Leagues, but two things got in the way: his fading fastball and his insufferable personality. After a spectacular career flame-out, Kenny goes home to Shelby County, NC, to nurse his wounds and work as a gym teacher at his old middle school.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | female nudity | sitcom | ampersand in title | punctuation in title | 

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Taglines:

When Kenny Powers comes back, he comes back hard. (Season 2)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

HBO

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

P.E.

Filming Locations:

Scotts Hill, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enemy MIGs Productions, Gary Sanchez Productions, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

28 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When promoting the second season of this show on Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Episode #9.32, Danny McBride revealed that season two was shot in a little over 30 days.

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Quotes

Casper: Hey, Stevie. Did you get cancer?

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.125 (2013)

User Reviews

A superb comedy

Is Kenny Powers an obnoxious pontificating self-glorifying pri*k? Well yes, and that's what makes the show so enjoyable. The entire premise of the show is fantastic; a washed up, out of shape former ball-player still clings on to his days of glory, refusing to think of himself as anything less than a star athlete. That being said, he still possesses a deadly arm.

I would say the writing of Jody Hill is among the best of the current comedic script writers. For Eastbound, Jody writes a very plausible scenario and brings life into all of the characters. None of the humour, although vulgar times, is recycled like so many other modern comedies where an interchangeable plot-line is strung together with a bundle of awkward characters who all but fall over their own feet. I find with Eastbound there is a lot originality in the interaction between characters and all of the events that transpire between them. You can find something to laugh at in almost every scene depending on your own interpretation. It really comes down to the little things with Jody Hill, he avoids punch-lines and instead draws his comedy from how an individual(like Kenny Powers) reacts to a situation as his own person, consistently being true to the characters he develops. This is what for me spawns true comedy, not obvious attempts by the writer where characters become overly awkward for the sake of being funny or where there is a sacrifice of individuality altogether allowing all characters to employ the identical kind of humour(Judd Apatow). This for me is why Eastbound is genius, and truly a show with a lot of potential to become a long running HBO hit.